she could read music when she was four—a los cuatro años ya sabía leer música

The police are eager to speak to anyone who can help us to find and arrest the culprits.

The challenge for me is first to make the final and then to go as fast as I can.

It turns out men and women can set the alarm clock or preset some radio stations with equal ease.

They rip up old track quickly and lay new track much faster than can be completed by hand.

What they want is one or two books a week which sell in thousands, pretty much as fast as they can unpack them.

Somehow the gap between what can be afforded and the price of houses must be bridged.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as its slowest brain cells.

As well as losing her speech, Holly's eyesight is fading fast and she can no longer walk.

The gallery is full of extraordinary art with price tags people can actually afford.

If you are not working but can still afford it, consider contributing to your pension.

From the ridge he could see for miles in all directions as the horizon stretched away into the misty mountains.

She has seen the effect council cuts and price increases have had on those who can least afford them.

Your best return is likely to be had by reducing the debt as fast as you can.

You travel four times faster than you can walk using the same amount of energy.

Dedicating a room to formal dining and nothing else is a luxury most of us can ill afford.

Sometimes she could not get her car out of the garage because rubbish bags were against them.

At six or seven years old, if you can run fast you're a great player and everyone wants you in their team.

Phil on the other hand drives fast and you can feel it when he changes the gears but it's not too bad.

Anyone can drive fast, what's more important is how good you car looks when it stops.

I also work hard but because I am taxed to the hilt I can rarely afford to play hard.

His wife and family did what they could to make life bearable, but his loneliness remained.

2

2.1(indicating, asking etc permission)

(forms of) poder

I can't stay out late—no puedo / no me dejan volver a casa tarde

can I come with you?—¿puedo ir contigo?

you can't go in there, madam—no puede entrar ahí, señora

you can stay as long as you like—te puedes quedar todo el tiempo / todo lo que quieras

The men will also face restrictions on who they can meet and on access to mobile phones and the internet.

Tell your child she can phone you at any time while away on a visit, if she's upset or worried in any way.

You are told that you can open the door at any time you wish, but only once, and only briefly.

Signal controlled crossings mean pedestrians can only cross when permitted to do so.

At this time, civilians could not buy and operate surplus military aircraft in Australia.

Some other places can stay open for longer because they have an entertainment licence.

Only law officers could legally bear arms.

Secondly, the bigger casinos will need to get a regional licence before they can open.

Canada, however, can only take 11 players to the Olympics.

It argues that motorists are often confused as to how fast they can go on certain roads.

It takes a couple of seconds to phone a team doctor and check if you can take something.

Teenagers can't go into pubs and clubs without fake ID.

2.2(in requests)

(forms of) poder

can you turn that music down, please?—¿puedes bajar esa música, por favor?

can I have two salads, please?—¿me trae dos ensaladas, por favor?

I have a problem with my computer, can you help me?

Alice, can't you please offer any advice or give me a hand to overcome these uncontrollable urges?

He emerged from the shop empty handed, and said: I'm sorry, can you lend me £6?

Can't you be more reasonable?

Could you do me a favor?

Can you open that window?

Could you not stick to what I actually said?

Could you please shed some light on this issue?

Can't you go outside for a minute?

Could you get me some of that shampoo?

2.3(in offers)

can I help you?—¿me permite?

can I carry that for you?—¿quieres que (te) lleve eso?

We could eat out somewhere and get to know each other if you want.

‘We could stay another week,’ Trent suggested.

We could have another go if you like?

Once again, can I reiterate my offer to Mrs Fell to go through any problems she has.

Michael said he could take me and Christie home.

I can go a lot slower if you want.

You can try calling him if you want to.

3

3.1(with verbs of perception)

I can't see very well—no veo muy bien

can you hear me?—¿me oyes?

I could hear every word they said—oía todo lo que decían

as you can see, there's a lot of work to be done—como ves / puedes ver, hay mucho que hacer

3.2(with verbs of mental activity)

I can't understand it—no lo entiendo

can you remember her name?—¿te acuerdas de cómo se llama?

I could guess what had happened—me imaginaba lo que había pasado

can't you tell he's lying?—¿no te das cuenta de que está mintiendo?

4

4.1(allow oneself to)

(forms of) poder

you can't blame her—no puedes echarle la culpa

I couldn't very well tell him just then—no se lo podía decir justo en ese momento

What can Blackburn offer these areas that their existing councils fail to provide?

If this was the pinnacle of what the the tour can offer, what can the lower reaches be like?

Players like that are few and far between and can we really afford to lose another of our goalscorers?

Surely he cannot be serious as to the farming out of such a serious subject as the future of the environment

Who but the most resentful can seriously doubt that he, too, belongs on that list?

Now, if a telephone company can't even sort out their own phone lines, how can they sort out mine?

How in that case, can the sky simply open and pour upon a whole big city hour after hour after hour of rain?

How misguided can you be to choose to eat your lunch in a place that has always been noted for pigeons?

How many Japanese mobile phone owners can want to know about North London happenings?

What could be more perverse than playing hard to get when looking for the one we can really open up to?

Where could she be?

If you live in New York City, you can't have missed the foundation's first set of ads.

4.2(in suggestions, advice)

can't you give it another try?—¿por qué no lo vuelves a intentar?

you can't let him have the last word—no puedes dejar que diga la última palabra

4.3(in orders)

for a start, you can clean all this up—puedes empezar por limpiar todo esto

if you don't behave you can go straight to bed—si no te portas bien, te vas inmediatamente a la cama

5

5.1(indicating possibility)

(forms of) poder

anything can happen now—ahora puede pasar cualquier cosa

what can she be doing in there?—¿qué estará haciendo ahí?

it can't be true!—¡no puede ser!

she can't have finished already—no puede haber terminado ya

he can't be her husband—no puede ser su marido

5.2(indicating characteristic)

you can be really stubborn—a veces eres realmente terco

she can be charming when she wants to—es encantadora cuando quiere / cuando se lo propone

learning the piano can be fun—aprender a tocar el piano puede ser divertido

she's as happy as can be—está de lo más contenta

Scotland have got some really useful forwards who can pose a threat to any side.

Even November in Florida could be hot, and that day was no exception.

Make sure that the hole you put it into is wet as those little roots can dry out very fast.

Previous research has already indicated that vitamin C can do harm as well as good.

Inscriptions in public places can also indicate the social status of the artist.

Just as easily as she could be annoying, she could turn around and be cute the next second.

I think some knowledge can be highly destructive, and all too often in this game, it is.

When group thinking manifests itself in the form of group knowledge, then it can be a good thing.

In the early days after the birth, it can be useful to set aside some time to rest when the baby sleeps.

A rugby career only lasts so long, but friends you make can be useful in later life.

In just six weeks he has learned that the internet can be an extremely useful tool for research.

A little adrenaline can be useful but stress is generally not healthy or helpful.

Usage

When can means to be capable of or to be allowed to, it is translated by poder:he can't eat no puede comer; can you come out tonight? ¿puedes salir esta noche? When can means to know how to, it is translated by saber:can you swim? ¿sabes nadar?; she can already read and write ya sabe leer y escribir. When can is used with a verb of perception such as see, hear, or feel, it is often not translated: can you see her from here? ¿la ves desde aquí?; she couldn't feel anything no sentía nada.